The Boy Downstairs

Sometimes a movie gets lost in the shuffle. Certainly the plot is old and often told but movie making is all in the telling. Zosia Mamet give a memorable performance with an authenticity that moves one and forces identification. Her performance is so effortless that it is easy to miss the exceptional acting. Which means that the acting was superb. The movie captures the hesitation to expose feelings in love while recognizing that the goal of love is to share life with someone who loves you as well. Perhaps the promotion was weak. But this movie is a must see and brings a catharsis to all who struggle with commitment but do dare to risk to truly love and be loved.

It's an average watch all around. The screenplay isn't riveting, yet it isn't horrendous. But the film constantly wants you to be in love with a story that doesn't seem to leave a mark within itself. It won't bore you to tears but it doesn't move you either. It's ok.

First things first. Any chick that rocks white overalls, Keds high tops and drinks Coors from brown stubbies has me dead to rights, man. Zosia Mamet (HBO's "Girls") does all of this and much more in the new romantic dramedy "The Boy Downstairs". She also acts her ass right straight off.

Mamet is Diana, a young aspiring writer whose not at all confident in her craft or her relationship. Enter Ben, a burgeoning musician played by Matthew Shear (TNT's "The Alienist"). Ben loves Diana, Diana loves Ben. Complications ensue, as in boy meets girl flicks they always do. Not a lot of new ground tread upon in this regard. However, it is in the mostly quiet yet compelling chemistry concocted between Mamet and Shear that we find a fresh, frank and funny take on a tale as old as the one of that original conflicted couple, Adam and Eve.

While mostly a yarn of the young 'uns, a special shout out simply must go to the nearly effortless and totally natural work of the entire ensemble of "the old guard" in "The Boy Downstairs". Veteran actress Deirdre O'Connell ("Hulu's "The Path") in particular radiates as a widower who serves both as landlord and confidante to damsel in distress Diana.

You may wanna be hip to the fact that at times some of the dialogue and dynamics come off as a bit contrived here. And Writer/Director Sophie Brooks's stylistic choice to shift scenes back and forth in time can be flat-out befuddling.

These points notwithstanding, you'll likely find yourself content to overlook such potential distraction as you focus on the fine performances of Mamet and Shear in "The Boy Downstairs". For this talented pair take us along on a most eclectic and entertaining journey through that timeless and tricky minefield we have come to know as-and still for lack of anything better to call it-love.

Uh... Err... Ummm... I... uh... yeah... No I mean... Yeah... Um... Uh...

If the above nonsense is hysterical for you, you'll probably like The Boy Downstairs. Characters with nothing interesting about them, not even on a molecular level, a story that's been done and re-done to death in movies, good sitcoms, bad sitcoms, and all the mediocre sitcoms in between... All that could be forgiven and forgotten, of course, if the whole thing was more than the sum of its parts: A funny movie, or a charming movie, or something that would at least hold the viewer's interest. Sorry, but no.

There is probably a target audience for this, no doubt about that. People who in their own minds star in Woody Allen movies, people who see some characters in a movie and go "OMG that's me! That girl is just-like-me!" and therefore give it 10 stars... People who want to declare a national emergency for any minute crisis they face (and I needn't point out that this "crisis" is always about an ex). People who think awkwardness, nervousness is cute and funny, even a selling point to the opposite sex... People who spend more time at Starbucks than at work or school. People who think starting every sentence with a 10-second "Ummm... Uhh... yeah but... No I mean..." nonsense intro makes your words interesting... Check out the main character in this film: She NEVER speaks a straight line in the whole 80 minutes. Always going "ummm..... uhhhh...." first. We should be glad she doesn't work at an emergency call center. The whole building would burn down before she could say "Hello, what's the emergency?"

You may think I'm being too harsh, or I "just don't get it" or may want to respond "Just go watch Expendables 5, you insensitive ignoramus!" but no. I love dramas, comedies, "dramedies" as they're now called, and I love movies about young people's insecurities, relationships... on one condition: If they're done well. I've seen some good examples, by young directors, young casts, millenials, the social network generation. They put out some good stuff there. Sadly, this doesn't rank among them. It misses every chance it gets to be funny, or interesting, or just mildly amusing.

I honestly usually despise romantic comedies or romantic type movies in general, but this one was done well. I was captivated by the characters and their realistic/mundane lives that were intertwined with emotions, heartbreak, and love. The acting was also pretty great, you really felt as though the characters were genuinely in love. Overall it was very good.